ROOM FOUR

Welcome back to Room Three and Four for Term four! The home straight for the year always seems to come around so quickly, but time flies when you are having fun! We have been working collaboratively this year in our rooms, although this is the first time we have written a combined blog, so the information included is relevant to both our classes.Student voice has been very positive towards the combined approach across our two classes this year, with students enjoying the opportunities to work with a wider range of students and adults in their learning. It has been great to see growth in students social and group work skills as they work with a range of peers. Term three was a particularly busy term with a number of sports skills (Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Gymnastics and Cross-Country) included in our schedule. This was rounded off by a productive week at the Stadium for the Fundamental Skills Program. We also had two trips out to Brayshaw Park as we looked at Maori culture and Harekeke (flax) as a valuable resource to Maori.We started a specific focus on Spelling in Term three and will continue this in Term four. We have seen most students engage well with the spelling program and watched many of them grow in confidence and ability with their spelling as a result. Strong support from home with learning spelling words has helped with the students we have seen the most growth in. Please continue to listen to children read out loud each night. Asking questions afterwards that test understanding of what has been read, or link to children’s prior knowledge, helps a lot with comprehension and inference skills. Our Term four Scripture for year three is Psalm 121, Year four is Proverbs 3: (1-3, 5-6, 11-12, 21-24) and Year five is Matthew 5:1-10. Each child received a copy of this prior to the holidays so they can start to learn them over the break. If they lose them they will be on our Class page.Our Devotions topic for the term is ‘God is Truth and wants us to be Truthful’. We will be teaching that God’s truth is absolute and although it can be challenging to to tell the truth at times, it should always be done with love. This is a very relevant topic in the world we live in today and our view on this topic sets Richmond View School apart from other schools.We thank you for your continued support and love,Logan Brown & Francesca Crossley.